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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spring · hide · kid · file · ball · stem · nail

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. file — a line of people
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — of water
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. file — a tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spring — the season
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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