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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rock — music
  7. pound — a weight
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fork — in a road

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