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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — a video
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. swing — to play on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. swing — music

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