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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — to confront
  23. rule — government
  24. rush — to hurry

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