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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — a face
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. season — in sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spring — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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