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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 116 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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spell — magic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. land — to come down
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. land — a country
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rock — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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