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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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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: rash · tube · saw · bound · mark · chest · hide · prune

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bound — certain
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — a grade
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rash — hasty
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — a series
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hide — animal skin

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