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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — the amount
  6. board — a committee
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. land — a country
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. content — happy
  13. board — to get on
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kick — in football
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. kick — with a leg

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