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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.

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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. snap — to click
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — a box
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. drill — army training
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — animal skin

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