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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a line
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — government

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