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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 116 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: kick · lash · court · prune · season · calf

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. season — in sport
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. prune — to trim
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. season — of the year
  11. court — of law
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. prune — to trim
  14. court — of a king
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. calf — a young animal

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