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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — a weight
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — employees
  10. march — the month
  11. clip — to cut
  12. march — music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. staff — a stick
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth

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