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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · spell · wax · mine · press · craft · rule · chip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — letters
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — a law
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. press — to push
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chip — to eat
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wax — for sculpting

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