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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. club — a group
  10. wake — a trail
  11. club — for dancing
  12. content — happy
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wax — to grow
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tear — from crying
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. content — the amount
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. club — for golf

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