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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. band — a music group
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a dance
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wake — a trail
  20. band — a ring
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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