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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kid — child
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. spell — letters
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — in a tire

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