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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — a match
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ground — a position
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ground — the earth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — a leader

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