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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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