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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: kid · lash · hide · rush · cold · firm · bound · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kid — child
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a line
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bound — tied together
  13. firm — decided
  14. bound — certain
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. firm — steady
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bound — obliged
  21. firm — a company
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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