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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.

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: can · mine · hide · wax · deal · kid · season · cold

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mine — for digging
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — a tin
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — to handle
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. season — to add flavour

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