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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: hide · wind · wax · perch · pop · rash · kid · object

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — soda
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pop — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — child
  14. object — to protest
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — to grow
  20. object — a thing
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pop — to visit

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