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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — to shout
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — a series
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lash — an eyelash

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