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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — a trail
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. branch — a division
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — rain
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. foot — a measure
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fall — to drop

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