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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — magic
  9. charge — electricity
  10. last — finally
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. last — to go on
  13. land — ground
  14. last — final
  15. staff — employees
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fall — the season
  24. land — a country

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