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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 was a fun ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bore — to drill
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. swing — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bore — to tire
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  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