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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. date — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — for dogs

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