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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. club — a group
  3. fall — the season
  4. rule — a law
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — army training
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. club — for golf
  18. track — a song
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rule — government
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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