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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. can — a tin
  6. board — to get on
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chip — for betting
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — a tin
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — to grow

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