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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 116 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 · dip · bank · cue · chair · firm · file · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. firm — steady
  3. dip — to sink
  4. file — a document
  5. cue — a signal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. kid — child
  11. chair — a leader
  12. file — a tool
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cue — a hint
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. firm — a company
  19. bank — for money
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bank — of a river
  23. firm — decided
  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