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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — a song
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. present — a gift
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — the fish
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lean — to bend
  20. present — the time now
  21. lean — thin
  22. land — to come down
  23. track — a path
  24. land — ground

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