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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lean — thin
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — a gift
  6. staff — a stick
  7. present — there
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. staff — employees
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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