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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. object — an aim
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — to protest
  7. game — wild animals
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. game — a match
  11. drill — the tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — army training
  21. object — a thing
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. patient — a sick person

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