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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. present — there
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. shower — rain
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — a container
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. present — a gift
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. present — the time now
  17. snap — to click
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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