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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. hand — help
  3. rash — a series
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stock — goods
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — child
  21. stock — shares
  22. bore — to drill
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kid — to tease

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