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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: chest · hide · nail · stick · dip · bear · lie · pass

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — of your body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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