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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stock — shares
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stock — goods
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cue — for pool

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