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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · hide · cabinet · rest · wax · hand · row · current

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — help
  16. row — a line
  17. rest — a break
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cabinet — ministers

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