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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — farmland
  14. wax — to grow
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. field — a subject
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — a position
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — a partner

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