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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cue — a signal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rock — a stone
  8. race — humankind
  9. cue — a hint
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. race — a contest
  16. chest — a box
  17. rock — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chest — of your body

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