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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — boats
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hand — help
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — humankind
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. race — a contest
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stand — on your feet

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