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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — for light
  3. charge — in control
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. charge — a price
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bound — certain
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. charge — electricity
  12. shower — to wash
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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