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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rule — a law
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — for sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rule — government
  24. wave — with your hand

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