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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. face — to confront
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. tear — from crying
  15. root — of a word
  16. tear — to rip
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wax — to grow
  21. face — to point toward
  22. root — the cause
  23. court — of law
  24. safe — out of danger

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