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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — of the year
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — to tease
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — to add flavour

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