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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kid — child
  16. current — of water
  17. capital — a city
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mate — a partner
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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