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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. face — to confront
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — certain
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tube — a container
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tube — the underground
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. fall — the season
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lean — to bend
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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