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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a match
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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