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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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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: saw · cap · trunk · kick · ball · row · ground · fan

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ground — a position
  6. row — a line
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cap — a hat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. kick — in football
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. trunk — of a car

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