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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. face — to confront
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — obliged
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. perch — the fish
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — a measure
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. face — part of the head
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bound — certain

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