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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. key — in music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — the most important part
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — a container
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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