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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: mine · bass · hide · rule · wax · sharp · mark · cabinet

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — low music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rule — a law
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hide — to keep secret

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