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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rule — government
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rule — a law
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wax — in the ear

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