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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — a committee
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — a group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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