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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. band — a ring
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rush — hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — rain
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pop — soda
  24. shower — to wash

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