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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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