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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 120 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — crushed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bulb — of a plant

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