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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kick — in football
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — in a road
  20. kid — child
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — to trim

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