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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: cell · ruler · prune · bear · sharp · hand · kid · deal

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. kid — to tease
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hand — help
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kid — child
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. prune — the fruit

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