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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.

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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: cue · hide · object · rest · hand · bark · squash · kid

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rest — a break
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. object — a thing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hand — part of the body

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