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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. field — farmland
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mug — a face
  18. mate — a friend
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bark — of a tree

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