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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: present · cap · rush · fall · trunk · kick · stem · prune

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fall — the season
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — the time now
  12. cap — a hat
  13. present — there
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — a lid
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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