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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rush — hurry
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. coach — a trainer

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