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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wax — to grow
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — lets stay

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