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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fan · stem · rash · ground · board · arm · date

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — the earth
  6. board — to get on
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — a committee
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — in football
  21. date — the fruit
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rash — a series

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