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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: cabinet · squash · tear · bound · drill · prune · calf · ground

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — army training
  19. squash — to crush
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — certain
  23. tear — to rip
  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