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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pass — a permit
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. face — to confront
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to click
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. band — a ring
  20. face — to point toward
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — a container
  24. wax — for sculpting

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