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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 116 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: chair · pass · hand · kick · bat · trunk · prune · suit

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bat — the animal
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — in cards
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kick — in football
  18. pass — a permit
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — help
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. suit — clothes
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

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