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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: firm · cap · cold · root · lie · bound · arm · hide

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — not warm
  17. root — of a plant
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cap — a lid
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — animal skin
  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