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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tear — to rip
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pound — a weight
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tear — from crying

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