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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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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: prune · spell · rash · club · bear · kick · bound · kid

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bear — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. club — a group
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — child
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — in football
  16. club — for golf
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rash — a series
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spell — magic
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. spell — letters

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