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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — of a king
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. object — to protest
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. court — of law
  17. object — a thing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chest — a box
  24. wave — of the sea

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