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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. object — to protest
  3. chip — for betting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bear — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — of the year
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fall — to drop

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