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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: leaves · cell · mine · kid · pass · rush · kick · fork

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cell — a phone
  13. kick — in football
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — child
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — in biology

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