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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: wound · bound · kid · land · prune · stick · press · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — to push
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — obliged
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cue — a signal
  11. land — ground
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. land — a country
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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