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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — a group
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — help
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. firm — steady
  11. lie — to recline
  12. scale — in music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. club — for golf
  18. lean — thin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. firm — a company

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