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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cue — a signal
  5. branch — a division
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cue — for pool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — a hint
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fine — all right
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — help
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. row — a line
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — to tease
  24. safe — out of danger

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