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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chest — a box
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — in sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — the cause
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — for money
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bound — certain
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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