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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: cap · hide · snap · bay · bear · wound · lash · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a lid
  9. snap — to click
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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