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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 116 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 · bear · wax · shower · trunk · mine · bay · spring

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — rain
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bear — to put up with

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