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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: prune · fine · roll · deal · kick · chest · fall · bulb

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. roll — a list
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chest — a box
  8. fall — the season
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — to handle
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — in football
  24. prune — the fruit

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