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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — thin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — soda
  19. squash — to crush
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — of water

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