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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rest — a break
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. kick — in football
  24. rash — a series

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