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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: kick · mark · prune · staff · bowl · foot · land · arm

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. foot — a measure
  6. land — to come down
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — in football
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — a country
  24. arm — part of the body

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