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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. band — a music group
  9. deal — to handle
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — moving air
  13. foot — a measure
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. band — a ring

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