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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 124 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chest — a box
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. vault — a safe
  15. roll — a list
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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