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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cue — for pool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — rain
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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