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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cold — an illness
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — the underground
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — not warm
  10. staff — employees
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tube — a container
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. staff — a stick
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wind — moving air
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. prune — to trim

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