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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hand — help
  5. key — the most important part
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — in cards
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. key — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — shares
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rash — hasty

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