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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: craft · prune · sharp · trunk · object · stem · hide · kick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. object — an aim
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. object — to protest
  8. kick — in football
  9. object — a thing
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — to come from
  13. craft — a skill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. craft — boats
  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