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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · hide · row · spring · hand · drill · mark · prune

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spring — of water
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. spring — a coil
  7. row — to paddle
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — to bear
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — the season
  17. row — a line
  18. drill — army training
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. drill — a practice

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