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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mate — a partner
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mate — to breed
  11. net — after costs
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tube — a container
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a line
  21. net — in sport
  22. mate — a friend
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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