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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 120 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. band — a ring
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a music group
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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