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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rest — what's left
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — a break
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. net — in sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fall — the season
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

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