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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. current — happening now
  4. season — of the year
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. current — electric
  10. season — in sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. march — the month
  13. last — final
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. last — to go on
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. current — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — music
  24. last — finally

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