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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wax — to grow
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pit — in a race
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a music group
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. band — a ring
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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