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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fine — all right
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ground — a position
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. row — a line
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ground — crushed

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