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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. net — for catching
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — of water
  20. net — after costs
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. net — in sport
  23. kid — child
  24. wake — before a funeral

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