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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pit — in a race
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — a hole
  6. branch — a division
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. object — to protest
  10. stand — to bear
  11. object — an aim
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — a position
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — finally
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. charge — a price
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. charge — in control

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