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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.

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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. current — happening now
  6. bound — certain
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. current — electric
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cold — not warm
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. craft — boats
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cap — of ice
  21. current — of water
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cold — an illness
  24. craft — a skill

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