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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lean — thin
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitch — completely
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — to bend
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lean — to rest against

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