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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — a line
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lie — to recline
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hide — to keep secret

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