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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. clip — a video
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chest — of your body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — a box
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cold — not warm

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