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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: wound · kid · pop · kick · mark · leaves · bowl · root

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pop — music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mark — a grade
  20. root — of a word
  21. pop — to visit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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