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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kid — child
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — a trail
  11. kid — to tease
  12. root — of a plant
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — magic
  15. drill — army training
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. root — of a word
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. root — the cause
  22. spell — letters
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — the tool

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