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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: jam · band · prune · staff · kid · arm · content · ball

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — a stick
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. ball — a great time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a ring
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — happy
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. content — the amount
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — to tease
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. band — a music group
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — videos and posts

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