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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: lie · pitcher · wind · branch · prune · mark · calf · foot

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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