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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mug — a cup
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mug — a face
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stand — to bear
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cold — an illness
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. deal — to handle
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wax — for sculpting

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