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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cue — a hint
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bore — to drill
  10. march — music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — a stick

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