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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. dip — to sink
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chest — of your body
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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