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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mug — a face
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — help
  24. mug — to rob

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