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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · ground · toast · bore · hide · clip · prune · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hand — in cards
  9. clip — a video
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — to cut
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — a position
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. ground — the earth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. toast — bread
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ground — crushed

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