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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. net — for catching
  12. march — music
  13. kid — child
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — to tease

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