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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: rest · hide · lean · track · foot · rash · wake · spring

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. lean — thin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rest — a break
  6. foot — a measure
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spring — of water
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — a series
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wake — a trail
  24. track — a song

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