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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — a division
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — money
  7. rest — a break
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rest — what's left
  18. capital — a city
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — a friend

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