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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · hide · racket · wax · press · craft · bass · lean

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — to tease
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — newspapers
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. press — a publisher
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lean — thin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. press — to push
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — low music
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wax — in the ear

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