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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chest — a box
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — to grow
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. craft — a skill
  17. charge — electricity
  18. craft — boats
  19. file — a document
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — a break
  22. file — a tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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