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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hand — help
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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