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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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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: can · kick · trunk · branch · craft · prune · kid · cell

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. craft — a skill
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — boats
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cell — in biology
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — child
  22. cell — a phone
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a bank

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