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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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468
Word bank
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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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. deal — to handle
  4. fall — the season
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tube — a container
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. snap — to click
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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