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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — child
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. kid — to tease
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spring — the season
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. last — final
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hide — animal skin

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