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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pop — soda
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — to visit
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — the tool
  24. roll — a list

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