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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mark — a trace
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — to confront
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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