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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. scale — in music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. game — a match
  18. hide — animal skin

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