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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. foot — a measure
  4. firm — decided
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — to grow
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. file — a line of people
  12. firm — steady
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. firm — a company
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. suit — clothes
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — to push
  24. suit — in cards

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