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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: wake · lie · straw · bark · cell · hide · chest · pop

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cell — in biology
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chest — a box
  15. pop — music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pop — soda

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