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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. perch — the fish
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bound — certain
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — of water
  13. rest — a break
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — obliged
  19. kid — child
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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