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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — child
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. branch — a division
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. kid — to tease
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cue — a hint
  21. toast — bread
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — the season
  24. cue — for pool

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