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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: roll · stand · prune · kid · present · spell · hide · foot

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spell — magic
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spell — a short time
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. roll — a list
  18. present — the time now
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. roll — a cake
  22. present — there
  23. kid — child
  24. present — a gift

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