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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 120 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: hand · cue · prune · degree · saw · fall · band · craft

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cue — for pool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a music group
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. craft — boats
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hand — in cards
  18. degree — temperature
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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