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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pit — a hole
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wax — to grow

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