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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: hide · kid · wax · field · lie · staff · swing · rush

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — to grow
  6. field — for sport
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rush — hurry
  24. lie — an untruth

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