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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — a committee
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — soda
  18. branch — a division
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. board — to get on
  23. pop — music
  24. branch — of a bank

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