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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. land — to come down
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — a country
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — ground
  20. fork — in a road
  21. net — after costs
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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