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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — to play on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — a series
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. swing — in golf
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. can — a tin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. swing — music

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