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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: fan · prune · kick · craft · firm · chip · degree · perch

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. degree — an amount
  3. firm — a company
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. perch — the fish
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. craft — boats
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kick — in football
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fan — a supporter
  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