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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mug — a cup
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. root — of a word
  15. mug — a face
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wax — to grow
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — help
  23. mug — to rob
  24. hand — in cards

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