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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ball — a dance
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. wind — moving air
  15. firm — decided
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rest — a break

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