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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cell — a phone
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — in biology
  7. board — a committee
  8. rock — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. snap — to click
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. board — to get on
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wax — to grow
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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