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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. swing — in golf
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. swing — music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wind — moving air
  12. present — the time now
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — ground
  19. race — humankind
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. cell — a phone
  23. race — a contest
  24. wind — to turn a key

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