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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cold — not warm
  6. object — a thing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — a country
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. object — an aim
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. land — ground
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. land — to come down
  24. object — to protest

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