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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mug — a face
  15. spring — a coil
  16. current — electric
  17. mug — a cup
  18. spring — the season
  19. mug — to rob
  20. current — happening now
  21. rash — a series
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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