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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stand — to bear
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ball — a dance
  12. race — humankind
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. kid — child
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to click
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. kick — in football
  24. race — the arms race

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