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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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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. net — after costs
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. last — finally
  6. suit — clothes
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — in football
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. suit — to fit
  16. last — final
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stem — to come from
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — soda
  21. net — for catching
  22. last — to go on
  23. net — in sport
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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