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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ball — a great time
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bound — certain
  17. spring — of water
  18. fine — all right
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lash — to lash out

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