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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
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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 · bay · field · wound · wax · jam · hand · bear

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hand — help
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. field — a subject
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. field — farmland
  24. bear — the animal

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