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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — an illness
  9. present — there
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lean — to bend
  12. present — the time now
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lean — thin
  20. present — a gift
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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