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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. object — to protest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. march — the month
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. object — a thing
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. scale — in music
  18. wax — to grow
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. march — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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