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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: present · mine · cue · pop · chest · sharp · prune · deal

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — soda
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — for pool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. present — there
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pop — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. present — a gift
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — to visit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cue — a signal

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