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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · wound · snap · bear · cabinet · pitcher · hide · board

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bear — the animal
  11. row — a line
  12. board — a committee
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — to get on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. hide — to keep secret

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