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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wind — moving air

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