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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. foot — a measure
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bore — to tire
  11. last — finally
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — happening now
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — to drill
  19. last — to go on
  20. bass — low music
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. last — final
  24. bass — the instrument

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