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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lean — to bend
  5. row — a line
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — a position
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ground — crushed
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. row — a quarrel

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