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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: date · content · racket · kid · arm · prune · pop · bound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pop — soda
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — to tease
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. kid — child
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — to visit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — tied together
  23. content — the amount
  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