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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · chair · hide · fork · wax · racket

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. racket — a loud noise

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