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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — a phone
  14. court — for sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. drill — army training
  21. hand — help
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — in the ear

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