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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — to trim
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spell — letters
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. season — in sport
  9. fork — in a road
  10. spell — magic
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. season — of the year
  24. shower — rain

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