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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — of the year
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. season — in sport
  9. object — to protest
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. object — a thing
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. game — a match
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. game — wild animals
  17. object — an aim
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. foot — a measure

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