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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: mate · hand · date · pitcher · stem · kick · last · leaves

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. last — finally
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. last — final
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. last — to go on
  18. mate — a friend
  19. kick — in football
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hand — help
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — to breed

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