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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pound — a weight
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — moving 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