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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — the season
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stock — goods
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a grade
  24. leaves — lets stay

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