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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 116 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: wound · wind · pitch · mouse · hide · wave · club · lash

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. club — a group
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — an injury

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