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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 120 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: prune · staff · wind · bat · kick · fine · fan · ball

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. kick — in football
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fine — all right
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wind — moving air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. prune — to trim

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