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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: kick · lie · bark · hide · cap · mug · bear · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mug — a face
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mug — a cup
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kick — in football
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lie — an untruth

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