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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: prune · bark · calf · cold · rock · plane · foot · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rock — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. plane — a tool
  10. content — happy
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rock — a stone
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. content — the amount
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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