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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 120 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: can · bowl · rash · cold · hide · pound · spring · suit

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rash — a series
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — the season
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — of water
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. suit — to fit
  24. can — a tin

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