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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — a tool
  11. land — a country
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. land — to come down
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kid — child
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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