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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: hide · wind · mark · deal · snap · ball · tube · perch

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mark — a grade
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ball — a great time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mark — a trace

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