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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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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: fine · swing · hide · wax · ball · kid · cap · straw

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cap — a hat
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — child
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — in golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cap — a lid
  24. straw — a straw man

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