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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lean — thin
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. plane — in geometry

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