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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 124 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. field — farmland
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. plane — a tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. field — for sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bear — the animal
  24. deal — to handle

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