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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: dip · row · wake · mate · hide · wound · rule · spell

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. mate — to breed
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — government
  9. row — to paddle
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a line
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — a law
  23. spell — magic
  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