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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. root — of a word
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. root — of a plant

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