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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · cold · rock · wave · kick · hide

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cold — not warm
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kick — in football
  16. cold — an illness
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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