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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 112 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — to come from
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fall — the season
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. content — the amount
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cabinet — ministers

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