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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 116 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
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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: drill · stick · ball · leaves · hand · bear · cold · lash

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cold — not warm
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. drill — army training
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ball — a dance
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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