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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · rock · wave · spring · squash · row · band · bore

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rock — music
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bore — to tire
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. band — a ring
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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