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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pop — soda
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — shares
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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