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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — music
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — child
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. can — to be able to
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — of your body

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