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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. season — of the year
  10. firm — decided
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — in sport
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fine — all right
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chair — a leader
  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