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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. march — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chest — a box
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — in football
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stem — to come from

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