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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: kid · fine · prune · stick · bound · track · club · ruler

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — certain
  4. fine — all right
  5. kid — child
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. club — a group
  14. track — a path
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — tied together
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. club — for dancing
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. club — for golf

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