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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wax — to grow
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — rain
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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