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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: ground · spring · content · cue · safe · swing · kid · prune

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — of water
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ground — crushed
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spring — the season
  10. cue — a signal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — a hint
  15. swing — music
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cue — for pool
  21. swing — in golf
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — to play on

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