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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. root — the cause
  3. lean — thin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — money
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lean — to bend
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. root — of a word
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — of water
  16. mug — to rob
  17. capital — a city
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spring — the season
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — a face

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