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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — in football
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — a series
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stem — to come from
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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