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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — to shout
  13. swing — to play on
  14. foot — a measure
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fall — the season
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. swing — music
  24. saw — the tool

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