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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — of water
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — in golf
  12. press — to push
  13. current — electric
  14. wake — a trail
  15. swing — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. land — a country
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. press — a publisher
  23. land — to come down
  24. hide — animal skin

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