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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — to grow
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. clip — a video
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. net — in sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rush — hurry
  22. craft — a skill
  23. net — after costs
  24. craft — boats

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