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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mate — a partner
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — the season
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a music group
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. calf — a young animal

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