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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: mark · prune · spell · chest · kick · sharp · mouse · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — magic
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. present — a gift
  17. spell — letters
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kick — in football
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. present — the time now

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