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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spell — letters
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — magic
  12. lean — thin
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — to go away

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