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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. club — for golf
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. pop — to visit
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — music
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. root — the cause
  23. bark — to shout
  24. shower — rain

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