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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 · rush · leaves · prune · kick · stem · wound · ground

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — in football
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stem — to come from
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. row — a quarrel

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