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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rest — a break
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — to bend
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lean — thin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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