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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — in football
  3. cap — a hat
  4. object — to protest
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. object — an aim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cap — of ice
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cap — a lid
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. object — a thing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stand — on your feet

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