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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spring — a coil
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — a break
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — happy
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. content — the amount
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a hole
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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