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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 124 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. deal — to handle
  5. squash — the sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. band — a ring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — to crush
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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