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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — thin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. charge — electricity
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. hand — help
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. land — a country
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cap — a hat

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