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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spell — magic
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spell — letters
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. band — a music group
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a ring
  14. rash — a series
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kid — to tease

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