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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — to grow
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cold — an illness
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. field — farmland
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. key — in music
  24. lean — thin

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