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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — after costs
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — a face
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fall — the season
  17. band — a music group
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. squash — to crush
  22. band — a ring
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chip — to eat

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