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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.

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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fall — the season
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — in music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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