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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — in golf
  5. charge — electricity
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lie — to recline
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fall — the season
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — a price
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wax — to grow
  21. charge — in control
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a kind of play

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