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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — for sport
  3. bound — obliged
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. bound — certain
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bank — for money
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. capital — a city
  19. bound — tied together
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — for money
  23. stem — to come from
  24. face — to confront

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