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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. snap — to click
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. season — in sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. kid — child
  24. hide — to keep secret

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