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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spring — a coil
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — a subject
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. foot — a measure
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rush — hurry
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spring — of water
  23. field — farmland
  24. rush — a thrill

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