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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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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: kid · nail · hand · hide · stand · saw · bulb · temple

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — for light
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — to tease
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — child

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