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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lean — thin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wax — to grow
  10. present — the time now
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mate — a partner
  17. band — a music group
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. present — there
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. spring — of water

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