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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wax — to grow
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ground — a position
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — the season
  10. capital — a city
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — money
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. foot — a measure

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