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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 120 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 · cabinet · staff · hide · ground · bore · straw · bear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. staff — a stick
  16. kick — in football
  17. ground — a position
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ground — crushed
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bear — to put up with

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