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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. can — a tin
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — a series
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wax — in the ear

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