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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lie — to recline
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — the underground
  23. saw — the tool
  24. prune — to trim

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