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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · roll · spring · snap · bound · squash · calf · hide

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to click
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. roll — a list
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — a leader
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spring — of water
  16. bound — certain
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bound — obliged
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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