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

Word bank: row · hide · mug · foot · straw · bay · prune · kid

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — child
  4. mug — a face
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mug — a cup
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. row — a line
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — a measure
  19. kid — to tease
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — dry grass

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