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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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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: kick · ball · cabinet · kid · straw · lean · nail · prune

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — in football
  10. kid — child
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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