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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. net — for catching
  5. bear — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. foot — a measure
  8. last — final
  9. wax — to grow
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. last — finally
  18. net — in sport

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