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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. board — a committee
  6. kid — to tease
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — to grow
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — child
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. board — a flat piece

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