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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to confront
  8. staff — a stick
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitch — completely
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. staff — employees
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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