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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. roll — a list
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. saw — the tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lean — to bend
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bark — to shout
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — thin
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. roll — a cake

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