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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fall — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. branch — a division
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fall — to drop
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. ball — a round shape

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