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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: land · prune · mouse · calf · patient · lean · kick · snap

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. snap — to click
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. land — a country
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — to trim
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. 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