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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spell — letters
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — for catching
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. net — after costs
  13. spell — magic
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spell — a short time

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