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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — tied together
  6. kick — in football
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. shower — rain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tear — to rip
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tear — from crying
  24. shower — to wash

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