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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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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: cold · squash · kick · tear · suit · hide · staff · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — in football
  6. suit — clothes
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — an illness
  10. suit — in cards
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tear — to rip
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cold — not warm
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — 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