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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lean — to bend
  7. content — the amount
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. swing — in golf
  12. current — happening now
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. swing — music
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — of water
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. content — happy
  20. pop — soda
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pop — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — part of the head

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