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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 120 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: snap · kick · cold · prune · bank · bore · stand · wind

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. bore — to drill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to tire
  23. snap — to click
  24. kick — in football

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