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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · bark · can · kid · prune · date · net · kick

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kick — in football
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — child
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — for catching
  21. date — the fruit
  22. ground — a position
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — to shout

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