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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: hand · prune · rash · firm · can · present · game · stick

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. firm — a company
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — decided
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — hasty
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. firm — steady
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hand — help
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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