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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — a container
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — to come down
  10. march — the month
  11. season — of the year
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. land — a country
  17. current — of water
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. march — the month
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. land — ground
  24. season — to add flavour

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