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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mate — a friend
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cue — for pool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cue — a signal
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — a face
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — a cup
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cue — a hint
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — to rob

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