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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — steady
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. firm — decided
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. firm — a company
  16. snap — to click
  17. stock — shares
  18. fall — the season
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — the month
  24. game — a kind of play

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