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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: swing · cabinet · calf · kid · prune · ball · hand · wound

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. prune — to trim
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ball — a dance
  5. swing — music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a great time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. swing — in golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cabinet — ministers

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