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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. court — of a king
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. object — an aim
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. row — a line
  16. court — of law
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. drill — the tool
  23. dip — to sink
  24. row — to paddle

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