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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. last — finally
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a committee
  9. last — to go on
  10. suit — in cards
  11. last — final
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — to get on
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kid — to tease
  23. suit — clothes
  24. lean — to rest against

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