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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: rash · stand · row · scale · arm · dip · kid · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. kid — child
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. scale — size or range
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. scale — in music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. arm — part of the body

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