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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — finally
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kick — in football
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — the season
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kick — a thrill

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