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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. object — a thing
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. object — to protest
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. object — an aim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fan — a supporter

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