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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spring — of water
  20. mine — for digging
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — a coil
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. hide — animal skin

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