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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. charge — electricity
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. band — a ring
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. squash — to crush
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. squash — the sport
  20. charge — a price
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. racket — for tennis

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