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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — a hat
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to click
  9. present — the time now
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. face — part of the head
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. present — there
  24. wax — in the ear

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