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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. row — to paddle
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — to push
  11. row — a line
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lie — an untruth

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