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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 120 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: mouse · hide · stand · bark · wave · trunk · fall · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fall — the season
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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