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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — low music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. charge — electricity
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. charge — in control
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. charge — a price
  21. craft — boats
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bass — the fish

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