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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mug — a face
  14. season — of the year
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rest — a break
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mug — to rob
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. plane — in geometry

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