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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: bank · prune · deal · bulb · hand · chair · game · wind

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chair — a leader
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hand — help

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