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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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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: kid · perch · lash · mark · hide · bulb · season · wind

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wind — to turn a key

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