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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — a song
  6. rock — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — a law
  9. fall — the season
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. last — final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rock — a stone
  24. track — a path

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