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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cap — of ice
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. clip — a video
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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