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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cell — in a prison

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