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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 116 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: kid · straw · lean · bound · bay · chip · hand · prune

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chip — to eat
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. kid — child
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hand — in cards
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lean — thin
  20. hand — help
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — certain
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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