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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. land — to come down
  5. snap — to click
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — of the year
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. charge — in control
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a great time
  24. charge — electricity

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