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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. present — there
  3. charge — electricity
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — in control
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. charge — a price
  23. plane — a tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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