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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — to bend
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bulb — for light
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — music

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