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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mark · tube · calf · coach · stand · kick · prune · row

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stand — to bear
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — a container
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kick — in football
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — a line
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — the underground
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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