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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: pitcher · hide · row · kick · kid · mine · pop · wave

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. kick — in football
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mine — for digging

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