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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 124 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mine — for digging
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hide — to keep secret

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