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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stock — shares
  7. lean — thin
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bass — the fish
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — low music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bore — to drill

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