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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — to fit
  6. hand — help
  7. stock — shares
  8. last — final
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — a path
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. track — a song
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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