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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. row — a line
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. race — humankind
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — a contest
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting

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