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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bound — certain
  7. clip — a video
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rock — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chest — a box

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