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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bank — for money
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bank — for money
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ground — a position
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bank — of a river
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — to crush
  18. charge — a price
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hide — to keep secret

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