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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: date · straw · stem · kick · safe · ground · rash · prune

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — crushed
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ground — the earth
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rash — a series
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kick — in football
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rash — hasty

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