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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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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 · kick · kid · swing · sharp · wax · craft · branch

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. swing — to play on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. branch — a division
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. craft — boats
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — clever

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