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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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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: rash · kid · root · arm · date · prune · mouse · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — child
  6. root — the cause
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. root — of a plant
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. date — the fruit
  18. root — of a word
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — to tease
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mouse — the animal

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