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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wax — to grow
  19. capital — a city
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hand — in cards
  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