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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. field — a subject
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — for sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — rain
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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