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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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 click
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. row — to paddle
  9. can — a tin
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. can — to be able to
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mug — to rob
  15. can — a tin
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. mug — a face
  19. bank — of a river
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. row — a line
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. hide — to keep secret

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