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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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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: prune · net · kid · kick · deal · cell · dip · object

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. object — to protest
  3. kick — in football
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kid — child
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. net — for catching
  22. dip — to sink
  23. net — after costs
  24. deal — an agreement

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