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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: clip · calf · pitcher · rock · bound · prune · pitch · date

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — a video
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rock — music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — the fruit

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