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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: stand · hide · wind · saw · mouse · mate · bark · wound

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stand — to bear

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