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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rash — hasty
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mug — a face
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — all right

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