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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a line
  7. plane — a tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a face
  13. last — finally
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. mug — a cup
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fall — the season
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mug — to rob
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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