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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spring — the season
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spring — of water
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — a coil

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