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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rush — hurry
  9. scale — in music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chest — a box
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — the animal

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