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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — a thing
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. object — to protest
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. fall — the season
  19. roll — a list
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. object — an aim
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ball — a dance

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