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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — a country
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — to bend
  9. prune — to trim
  10. shower — rain
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. firm — steady
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. land — ground
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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