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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. scale — in music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mine — for digging
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pass — a permit
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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