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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — wild animals
  3. key — in music
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rest — a break
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — a division
  11. rest — what's left
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wax — to grow
  14. key — the most important part
  15. game — a match
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rest — what's left

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