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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: club · tear · clip · kid · firm · prune · net · cue

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cue — a hint
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — a signal
  8. net — for catching
  9. firm — steady
  10. tear — to rip
  11. clip — for paper
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — to cut
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — a video
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — after costs
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — decided
  22. cue — for pool
  23. club — a group
  24. tear — from crying

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