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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — an illness
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mark — a grade
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rule — a law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cabinet — ministers

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