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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · rest · mine · sharp · wax · season · lean · object

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. lean — thin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — to turn a key

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