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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a friend
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bark — to shout
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — thin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bound — certain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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