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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · wax · leaves · foot · tear · ruler · jam · game

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — from crying
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. game — a match
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hide — animal skin

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