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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. file — a tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bore — to tire
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — the animal
  13. court — of law
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. file — a document
  16. court — of a king
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bore — to drill
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — for sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. safe — out of danger

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