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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fall — the season
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. drill — army training
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — to drop

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