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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — finally
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — a song
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — to go on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — completely
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. track — a path
  23. cap — a hat
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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