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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. race — a contest
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. swing — in golf
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. object — a thing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. race — humankind
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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