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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lean — thin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tube — a container

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