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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. suit — to fit
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. drill — army training
  24. rash — hasty

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