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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: rock · craft · prune · hand · kick · cap · stand · wind

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — in cards
  6. kick — in football
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hand — help
  24. cap — a lid

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