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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.

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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: prune · hand · stem · rush · bound · cue · present · kick

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. present — there
  4. prune — to trim
  5. present — the time now
  6. bound — certain
  7. cue — a signal
  8. kick — in football
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hand — help
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — in cards
  21. present — a gift
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — to trim

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