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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. row — a line
  3. present — the time now
  4. band — a ring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. present — there
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. charge — in control
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hand — help
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a music group
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. charge — electricity
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. present — a gift

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