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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 120 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: spell · hide · stick · wax · craft · rock · chest · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spell — magic
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — boats
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rock — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spell — letters
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chest — a box
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kid — to tease

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