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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a line of people
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a document
  24. hand — in cards

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