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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — the season
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spring — of water
  8. scale — in music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. march — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — to grow
  16. march — the month
  17. last — finally
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. wax — in the ear

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