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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. spell — letters
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — a short time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. spell — magic
  15. wax — to grow
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. land — to come down
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — money
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — ground
  23. capital — a city
  24. land — a country

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