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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.

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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. field — for sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. suit — to fit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. staff — employees
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kick — in football
  20. field — a subject
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wax — to grow

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