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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 116 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: drill · mouse · last · bass · lie · stem · kick · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lie — to recline
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. last — to go on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — low music
  12. last — finally
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. last — final
  16. kick — in football
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mouse — the animal

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