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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. race — humankind
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lie — to recline
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. roll — a list

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