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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. lean — thin
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. band — a ring
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — all right
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hand — help

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