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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: straw · wax · shower · bay · lean · cold · hide · stem

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. lean — thin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lean — to bend
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — to wash

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