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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. snap — to click
  7. bound — certain
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bound — tied together
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bound — obliged

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