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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — for paper
  12. shower — to wash
  13. clip — a video
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. track — a path
  20. cold — an illness
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. wave — with your hand
  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