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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — of your body
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lean — thin
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chest — a box
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tear — to rip

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