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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a music group
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — a container
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. band — a ring
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. saw — the tool

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