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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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. charge — a price
  4. degree — an amount
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — in control
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. charge — electricity
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — temperature
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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