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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — a practice
  5. current — of water
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. current — happening now
  11. lean — thin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. current — electric
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. drill — army training

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