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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · fall · chair · kick · prune · stem

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — a leader
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fall — to drop
  11. toast — bread
  12. fall — the season
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. 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