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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — to handle
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — in sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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