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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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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: craft · file · safe · prune · land · degree · stem · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — to come down
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. file — a line of people
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — ground
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. craft — boats
  17. file — a document
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. craft — a skill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — a country
  24. safe — out of danger

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