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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: rest · hide · foot · field · hand · lash · rush · mine

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — in cards
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rest — a break
  10. hand — help
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — farmland
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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