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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · fall · bat · leaves · wound · sharp · saw · object

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. object — a thing
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — to protest
  16. saw — the tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — in an idiom

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