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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. race — a contest
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spring — the season
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bore — to drill
  17. squash — the sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — a coil
  20. race — the arms race
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — to crush
  23. spring — of water
  24. prune — to trim

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