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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.

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: present · hide · scale · ground · safe · kid · shower · wax

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. present — there
  5. ground — crushed
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. present — a gift
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. present — the time now
  12. ground — a position
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — child
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ground — the earth
  18. scale — in music
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wax — in the ear

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