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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — to grow
  5. file — a tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — hasty
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — to rob
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rash — a series

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