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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mate — a partner
  5. face — part of the head
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. face — to point toward
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — for digging
  21. face — to confront
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wound — an injury

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