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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: hide · wind · firm · tear · wound · rule · bay · chest

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rule — a law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — steady
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wind — moving air
  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