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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. band — a ring
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. branch — a division
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. dip — to sink
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — the underground
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bark — to shout
  22. snap — to click
  23. tube — a container
  24. bark — of a tree

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