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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a ring
  5. squash — to crush
  6. season — of the year
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. saw — the tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pound — a weight
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. staff — employees

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