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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: prune · shower · degree · spell · can · saw · rule · calf

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — a tin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — an amount
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. degree — from a university
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. degree — temperature
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. saw — the tool

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