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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.

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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: pass · cabinet · wax · spell · spring · hide · wound · staff

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — of water
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spell — magic
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — a permit
  14. staff — employees
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — to keep secret

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