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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: pass · kick · date · land · nail · prune · stem · squash

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — to come down
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. squash — to crush
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. prune — to trim
  10. squash — the sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kick — in football
  21. land — ground
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — a country

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