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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — finally
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. tube — a container
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fall — to drop
  24. snap — to click

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