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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — a trace
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — of water
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tear — to rip
  16. spring — the season
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mark — a grade
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. racket — a loud noise

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