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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. season — of the year
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. swing — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — in sport
  19. cold — not warm
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. swing — to play on
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — in golf

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