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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — money
  7. spell — a short time
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bank — for money
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spell — magic
  12. bank — of a river
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spell — letters

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