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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — wild animals
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. game — a match
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wax — in the ear

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