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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: bay · hide · chest · leaves · kick · roll · patient · hand

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — help
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a list
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chest — a box
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. kick — with a leg

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