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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chest — of your body
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chest — a box
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. content — the amount
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — thin
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — for sculpting

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