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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. present — a gift
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — there
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. swing — in golf
  22. present — the time now
  23. swing — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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