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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — low music
  10. firm — steady
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. clip — a video
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stem — to come from
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. firm — decided
  24. arm — part of the body

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