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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.

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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: root · kick · wound · pit · prune · cabinet · straw · present

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. present — the time now
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. root — of a plant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. root — of a word
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. present — a gift
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — the cause
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

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