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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — in cards
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — army training
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stock — shares

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