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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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