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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: hide · saw · pass · cell · present · prune · cue · snap

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. present — there
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pass — a permit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to click
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in biology
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. saw — the tool
  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