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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stand — to bear
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — the underground
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — a container
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a rubber band

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