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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 · scale · kid · sharp · ruler · kick · lean · cap

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cap — a hat
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lean — to bend
  7. kid — child
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — in music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lean — thin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kick — in football
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lean — to rest against

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