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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 120 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: hide · rush · bear · tear · firm · ball · spell · dip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — letters
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spell — magic
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a great time
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — a short time
  20. firm — decided
  21. ball — a dance
  22. firm — steady
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. firm — a company

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