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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 116 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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — a video
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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