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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. last — finally
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — a grade
  5. season — of the year
  6. last — final
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. branch — a division
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — to go on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rest — a break

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