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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: hide · bark · wound · sharp · saw · straw · game · rush

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. game — a match
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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