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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: cold · lash · bear · hide · band · board · bulb · ground

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — not warm
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — to get on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — an illness
  11. band — a music group
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. band — a ring
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hide — to keep secret

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