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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. degree — from a university
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bank — for money
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. craft — a skill
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — an amount
  22. craft — boats
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bank — of a river

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