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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 116 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 · net · cap · file · firm · hide · leaves · shower

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cap — a lid
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. firm — decided
  7. net — for catching
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a document
  15. net — after costs
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. file — a tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. net — in sport
  24. hide — animal skin

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