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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a music group
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. craft — boats
  20. land — ground
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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