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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: scale · bound · clip · lie · cue · prune · kid · pop

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. kid — child
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pop — to visit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — to tease
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — a hint
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pop — soda
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pop — music

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