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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. band — a ring
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — a trail
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a music group
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. race — the arms race
  12. season — of the year
  13. race — humankind
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — in sport
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — a contest

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