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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. key — in music
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — in sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. net — for catching
  12. dip — to sink
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rush — hurry
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. board — to get on
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. net — after costs

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