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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: leaves · root · hide · kid · wax · shower · mine · firm

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. root — of a word
  6. firm — decided
  7. wax — to grow
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — rain
  14. firm — steady
  15. root — of a plant
  16. firm — a company
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. root — the cause
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — to tease

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