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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. present — there
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — an illness
  11. present — the time now
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — a position
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. present — a gift
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — thin
  24. cold — the Cold War

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