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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. kick — in football
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. staff — a stick
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mine — for digging
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fall — the season
  15. fine — all right
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. race — humankind
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. race — a contest
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. staff — employees

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