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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — a series
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. drill — army training
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — final
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — hasty
  22. last — to go on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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