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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. shower — rain
  9. march — music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. scale — in music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. march — the month
  20. foot — a measure
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kick — in football

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