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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rest — what's left
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. root — of a plant
  11. object — an aim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rest — a break
  16. swing — music
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. object — to protest

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