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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rash — a series
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bore — to drill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bore — to tire
  24. scale — for weighing

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