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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cell — in biology
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — to grow
  5. object — to protest
  6. saw — the tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mark — a grade
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. object — a thing
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — a phone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — an aim
  21. scale — in music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wake — before a funeral

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