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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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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: prune · mug · last · net · mouse · kick · drill · land

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. last — final
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — to rob
  6. prune — to trim
  7. land — a country
  8. drill — army training
  9. mug — a face
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — to come down
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mug — a cup
  17. drill — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — ground
  20. kick — in football
  21. net — in sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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