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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. rule — a law
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. prune — to trim
  7. root — the cause
  8. drill — a practice
  9. root — of a word
  10. rule — government
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. straw — dry grass

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