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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. board — a committee
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. board — to get on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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