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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — in cards
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. key — the most important part
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. shower — to wash
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. key — in music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — for a lock
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. hand — help

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