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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. content — happy
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. root — the cause
  7. board — to get on
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. object — a thing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — a committee
  16. object — an aim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. object — to protest
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lie — to recline

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