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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 120 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: straw · craft · scale · prune · rock · bore · hide · cell

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rock — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. craft — boats
  18. prune — to trim
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — a stone
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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