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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wax — to grow
  3. perch — the fish
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rule — a law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. row — to paddle
  15. charge — a price
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. charge — in control
  21. rule — government
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — a line
  24. wind — moving air

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