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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: hand · mug · bay · last · bat · content · hide · prune

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bat — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — to go on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. content — the amount
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. last — final
  20. mug — a face
  21. content — happy
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. prune — the fruit

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