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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. band — a music group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a ring
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. net — for catching
  21. spring — of water
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — after costs

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