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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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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: craft · kid · cue · hand · file · kick · bound · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a tool
  7. kid — child
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cue — a hint
  10. craft — boats
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — in football
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bound — certain
  18. hand — help
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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