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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.

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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rock — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — a tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spell — magic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hand — in cards

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