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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. spring — a coil
  4. current — electric
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hand — in cards
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stand — to bear
  17. current — happening now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — of water
  23. current — of water
  24. roll — a list

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