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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ball — a dance
  7. kick — in football
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — a position
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ground — the earth
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. branch — a division
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a round shape

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