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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. board — to get on
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. last — to go on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. last — final
  16. rash — hasty
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. board — a committee
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. scale — size or range

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