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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: wind · cold · hide · foot · deal · rock · bound · rush

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — certain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bound — obliged
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cold — an illness
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rock — a stone

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