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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. lie — to recline
  4. kid — child
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — of the year
  13. capital — a city
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. ball — a great time
  19. season — in sport
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rule — government
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — 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