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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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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: straw · season · race · hide · lash · ruler · ground · bark

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — a position
  5. race — the arms race
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bark — to shout
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. season — in sport
  12. race — a contest
  13. season — of the year
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. race — humankind
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ground — crushed

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