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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. net — in sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — tied together
  11. net — for catching
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cue — a signal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — an injury

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