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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. net — after costs
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stand — to bear
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stem — a stem cell

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