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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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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kid — to tease
  9. press — newspapers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — in sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mine — for digging

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