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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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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: chest · file · prune · kid · calf · cabinet · tear · perch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chest — a box
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chest — of your body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kid — to tease
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a tool
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a document
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — from crying

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