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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 120 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: fine · capital · prune · mouse · trunk · hide · kid · hand

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. kid — child
  6. fine — all right
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. capital — a city
  13. fine — high quality
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. capital — money
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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