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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lean — to bend
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. last — final
  18. bear — the animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. shower — rain
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. last — finally
  24. prune — the fruit

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