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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — a committee
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — of the year
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. season — in sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. toast — bread
  16. key — for a lock
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. board — to get on
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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