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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — to drill

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