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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — to go on
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — a position
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for golf
  24. hand — help

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