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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — in a race
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. squash — the sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — in sport
  24. pit — a hole

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