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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — government
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hand — help

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