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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: snap · rash · mine · cold · lean · hide · swing · staff

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — a series
  18. swing — music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — not warm

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