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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. club — for golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. club — for dancing
  15. root — of a plant
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. club — a group
  18. kick — in football
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — a container

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