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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: kick · pound · pit · pop · trunk · tear · hand · craft

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pound — a weight
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — to visit
  8. craft — boats
  9. hand — help
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — in cards
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — in football
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tear — from crying

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