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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rest — a break
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bear — the animal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rest — what's left

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