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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. prune — to trim
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. craft — a skill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — in football
  15. rule — government
  16. field — for sport
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rule — a law
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — boats
  23. field — a subject
  24. mouse — the 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