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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · prune · ball · kid · object · fine · chest · calf

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. object — an aim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chest — of your body
  11. object — to protest
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chest — a box
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. object — a thing
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rush — a thrill

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