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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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 — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a committee
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. row — to paddle
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — of ice
  15. staff — a stick
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. staff — employees
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. cap — a hat
  23. racket — for tennis
  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