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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mine — for digging
  3. present — there
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — child
  11. present — a gift
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. present — the time now

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