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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. land — a country
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cap — a hat

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