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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. saw — the tool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. row — a line
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. sharp — with an edge

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