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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to click
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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