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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. last — to go on
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pop — soda
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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