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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. current — happening now
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. current — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. current — electric
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. snap — to click
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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