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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: lash · foot · hide · ground · bank · hand · chest · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — help
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — a box
  10. bank — for money
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. ground — a position
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ground — the earth
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bank — for money
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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