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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: content · rash · court · pop · can · deal · prune · hand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pop — soda
  3. can — a tin
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pop — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — the amount
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. court — for sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rash — a series
  17. court — of law
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. content — happy
  21. prune — to trim
  22. deal — to handle
  23. can — to be able to
  24. court — of a king

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