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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: track · snap · prune · bark · current · kid · pass · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. current — happening now
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. current — electric
  6. snap — to click
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — of water
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kick — with a leg

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