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

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. roll — a list
  3. kid — child
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. roll — a cake
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stock — goods
  12. drill — army training
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — shares
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. row — a line
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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