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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — of a plant
  10. row — a line
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. prune — to trim
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — to be able to
  16. root — the cause
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. root — of a word
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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