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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cue — a signal
  19. season — of the year
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wind — moving air

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