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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: hide · bass · hand · mug · wax · drill · cabinet · rule

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rule — a law
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — a cup
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — government
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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