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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lean — thin
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — to shout
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spell — letters
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mug — a face
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mug — a cup
  23. spell — a short time
  24. staff — employees

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