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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.

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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: staff · calf · last · pitcher · ruler · racket · branch · prune

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. branch — a division
  4. staff — a stick
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — to go on
  21. staff — employees
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. racket — for tennis
  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