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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
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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: perch · game · fan · date · wax · trunk · prune · calf

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — wild animals
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. date — the fruit
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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