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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 · drill · mine · row · calf · bowl · leaves · kid

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. drill — a practice
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — for digging
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. row — to paddle
  24. kid — child

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