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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 116 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. scale — size or range
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. scale — in music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. tear — from crying
  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