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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
468
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: roll · chest · prune · race · can · hide · pitcher · straw

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. can — a tin
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — a box
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. race — the arms race
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — humankind
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. race — a contest
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — a tin

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