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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. scale — in music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. shower — rain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — to wash

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