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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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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: firm · mate · stick · wind · hide · bound · chest · shower

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. firm — a company
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. firm — decided
  11. mate — a partner
  12. firm — steady
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bound — certain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chest — a box

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