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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · sharp · spell · present · prune · calf · field · straw

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. field — a subject
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. last — final
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — magic
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — a short time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. present — there
  17. spell — letters
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — to go on
  21. field — farmland
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com