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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: club · kick · foot · rest · snap · stem

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — a group
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. club — for dancing
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rest — a break
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. kick — in football
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rest — what's left

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