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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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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: mine · lash · leaves · fork · snap · lie · hand · hide

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to click
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — help
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lie — to recline

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