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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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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: hide · prune · drill · bulb · rest · scale · charge · kid

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. drill — army training
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. charge — electricity
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rest — a break
  13. charge — a price
  14. kid — to tease
  15. scale — size or range
  16. charge — in control
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — in music
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — to trim

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