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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: hand · prune · rock · field · squash · hide · bulb · kid

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — help
  5. field — for sport
  6. kid — child
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rock — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — to trim

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