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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — a position
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — to recline

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