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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. land — a country
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. land — ground
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. spring — of water
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — clever
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — the season

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