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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. current — happening now
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lean — to bend
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ground — the earth
  12. file — a document
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — electric

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