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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. spell — letters
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — magic
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stem — to come from
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pass — a permit
  24. press — to push

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