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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. land — a country
  3. last — to go on
  4. land — ground
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. land — to come down
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. last — final
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. suit — to fit

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