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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rest — a break
  13. face — to confront
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. staff — employees
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — employees
  24. leaves — to go away

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