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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pass — a permit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — the season
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cold — not warm
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — in music
  16. craft — boats
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cold — an illness

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