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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mug — a face
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — a division
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. court — of a king
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. court — of law
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — a subject
  21. mug — to rob
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. branch — of a bank

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