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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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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 · last · bore · pit · bay · fall · arm

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — final
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fall — the season
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bore — to drill

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