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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. branch — a division
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. chair — a leader
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. suit — clothes
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spell — letters
  18. last — to go on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mark — a grade
  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