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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. can — a tin
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — to rip
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — help
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — a signal
  24. can — a tin

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