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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. file — a tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. bound — certain
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. swing — music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a document
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bound — tied together

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