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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: prune · kick · deal · spell · jam · cabinet · cold · pitcher

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — in football
  12. cold — an illness
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cold — not warm
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. jam — a tight spot

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