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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pop — soda
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. dip — to sink
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — to visit
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. shower — rain
  19. rock — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wind — moving air
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. game — a match

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