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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — to recline
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — a line
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. press — to push
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bark — to shout
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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