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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: row · spring · kick · current · field · ball · bound · prune

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ball — a great time
  5. row — a line
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — for sport
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. ball — a dance
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — a subject
  16. spring — the season
  17. field — farmland
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. current — happening now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spring — of water

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