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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: prune · fine · content · fan · stem · kid · bound · staff

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — tied together
  4. content — the amount
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — happy
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. staff — a stick
  20. kid — child
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. kid — to tease

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