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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — the season
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wax — to grow
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — in music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wax — in the ear

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