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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — in football
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. staff — employees

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