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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: staff · prune · current · ball · cap · nail · kid · spring

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. current — of water
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kid — child
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. current — happening now
  16. spring — a coil
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spring — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. ball — a dance
  24. staff — a stick

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