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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chest — a box
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — the season
  19. fine — all right
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lie — an untruth

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