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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — in a race
  19. staff — a stick
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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