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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: ground · prune · foot · cap · ball · kid · rush · hand

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — child
  3. cap — a lid
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a hat
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  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