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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — to handle
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — child
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. shower — to wash
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. content — happy
  14. shower — rain
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. deal — a big deal

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