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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — certain
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stock — goods
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. net — after costs
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — shares

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