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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: hide · lash · cold · rule · perch · ground · bulb · bound

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — a law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bound — certain
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — the earth

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