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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: kick · wind · squash · club · arm · cue · prune · firm

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — a group
  5. cue — a signal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kick — in football
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. firm — a company
  12. squash — to crush
  13. firm — decided
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. firm — steady
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — for golf
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. prune — to trim
  24. squash — the sport

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