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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.

Make a worksheet

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
YesNo
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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: rash · mine · bound · wax · kick · stand · mate · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — in football
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stand — for spectators

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