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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ground — a position
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — a series
  24. bank — for money

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