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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — a tin
  3. chip — for betting
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mate — to breed
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mate — a friend
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chest — a box
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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