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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to click
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fall — the season
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tear — to rip

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