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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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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: stick · hide · saw · toast · wound · arm · row · temple

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. row — a line
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. toast — bread
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. row — to paddle

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