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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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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: squash · mouse · calf · prune · pit · kick · race · tear

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. prune — to trim
  3. race — a contest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kick — in football
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — the arms race
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — a hole
  20. squash — the sport
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. squash — to crush
  23. race — humankind
  24. prune — the fruit

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