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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: court · nail · prune · scale · leaves · bore · present · calf

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. scale — size or range
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — of a king
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. court — of law
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. court — for sport
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. prune — to trim
  24. calf — a young animal

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