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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. last — to go on
  7. capital — money
  8. last — final
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — finally
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bound — certain
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for golf
  17. fall — the season
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. club — a group
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. capital — a city

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