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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: shower · trunk · season · prune · march · calf · drill · firm

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. firm — decided
  6. drill — the tool
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — army training
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — of the year
  13. shower — rain
  14. season — in sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. march — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. firm — a company
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. firm — steady
  24. trunk — of a car

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