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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 116 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: hide · mate · bay · net · rest · kick · spring · wound

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — after costs
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — in sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kick — in football
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. net — for catching
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spring — of water
  17. rest — a break
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mate — to breed

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