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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.

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: prune · bowl · mug · cell · land · calf · lie · bore

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mug — a cup
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. land — ground
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bore — to drill

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