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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mug — a face
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. board — to get on
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. drill — army training
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chair — a leader
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. board — a committee
  23. roll — a list
  24. wind — moving air

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