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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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 — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spring — the season
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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