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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: tear · leaves · kid · last · can · cue · hide · stick

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — to tease
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — a tin
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cue — a signal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tear — to rip

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