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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — for catching
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. net — in sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a match
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — for pool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bear — the animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cue — a hint
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. race — the arms race
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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