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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: cue · leaves · prune · nail · hand · arm · kid · last

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cue — a signal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. hand — help
  9. kid — child
  10. last — final
  11. prune — to trim
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cue — a hint
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — part of the body

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