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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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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: mug · wave · kick · jam · cold · prune · stem · squash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. stem — to come from
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. cold — the Cold War

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