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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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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: hide · lean · bark · snap · pitch · ground · rush · cell

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. ground — a position
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bark — to shout
  14. snap — to click
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ground — the earth
  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