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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fall — to drop
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. face — to confront
  20. rest — a break
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wake — before a funeral

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