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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. club — a group
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. club — for golf
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. club — for dancing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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