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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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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 · pound · straw · rash · saw · row · deal · prune

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pound — a weight
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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