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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: wound · rash · can · scale · rule · hide · ground · mouse

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. can — a tin
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — the earth
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rule — government
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. rule — a law
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. can — a tin
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hide — animal skin

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