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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fall — the season
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. object — a thing
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a line
  11. object — an aim
  12. row — to paddle
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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