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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 116 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: prune · leaves · shower · band · craft · face · calf · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mug — a cup
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. face — to confront
  13. mug — a face
  14. face — to point toward
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. face — part of the head
  19. band — a ring
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — boats

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