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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. last — final
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kick — in football
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. last — to go on
  18. branch — a division
  19. last — finally
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ball — a great time

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