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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: shower · spell · prune · bound · hand · calf · fine · suit

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — tied together
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — rain
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bound — obliged
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spell — letters
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bound — certain
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. suit — to fit
  19. fine — all right
  20. suit — in cards
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hand — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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