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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — a trail
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — child

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