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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — in a race
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fall — the season
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a path
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. band — a ring
  20. track — a song
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — to turn a key

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