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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — the season
  17. cell — a phone
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in biology
  22. march — music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. lie — an untruth

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