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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 120 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: drill · present · prune · craft · land · calf · perch · pit

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. drill — the tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a skill
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — a gift
  14. craft — boats
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. perch — the fish
  17. drill — army training
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — a practice

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