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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. charge — a price
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. clip — for paper
  5. toast — bread
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. degree — from a university
  16. charge — in control
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. degree — temperature
  21. clip — a video
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lean — thin

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