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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.

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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 stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bear — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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