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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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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: wound · kid · fine · rash · kick · prune · stand · net

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. kick — in football
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fine — all right
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fine — high quality
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. kid — child
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. net — after costs
  21. stand — to bear
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. stand — on your feet

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