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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — a break
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bore — to drill
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — shares
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. current — happening now
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pass — a permit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — to spend time

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