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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: wax · jam · hide · cold · pass · calf · stick · land

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — not warm
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. land — to come down
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cold — an illness
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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