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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — in sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a ring
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. band — a music group

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