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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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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: kid · prune · arm · wind · spell · snap · pop · cabinet

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. snap — to click
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pop — soda
  12. kid — child
  13. spell — letters
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kid — to tease
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. arm — 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