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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cap — a lid
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mate — to breed
  7. board — a committee
  8. chest — a box
  9. board — to get on
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mug — to rob
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — a partner
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chest — of your body

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