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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to click
  6. pass — a permit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tear — to rip
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. vault — a safe
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. net — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pass — to spend time

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