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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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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: wax · hide · wind · key · cold · mug · leaves · rule

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mug — a face
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rule — government
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mug — to rob
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. key — in music
  23. rule — a law
  24. key — the most important part

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