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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — a law
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rule — government
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. arm — a part of something

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