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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — the month
  6. ground — the earth
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. march — music
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — crushed
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. mine — for digging
  23. toast — bread
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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