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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 124 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. season — in sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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