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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. lean — thin
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. craft — boats
  8. shower — rain
  9. foot — a measure
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. craft — a skill
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lean — to bend

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