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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bark — to shout
  5. can — a tin
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — a container
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. can — a tin
  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