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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — in sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. season — of the year
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. trunk — of a car

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