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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 116 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: deal · press · prune · bass · safe · hand · hide · rule

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bass — the fish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — low music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rule — government
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. press — to push
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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