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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 116 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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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: fall · current · deal · cap · kick · branch · kid · prune

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kid — child
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — a division
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — in football
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — the season
  16. current — happening now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — of a bank

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