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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bank — of a river
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bank — for money
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — for digging

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