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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 116 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chip — to eat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. pass — to succeed

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