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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pop — to visit
  7. file — a document
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pop — soda
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. file — a tool
  16. pop — music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fine — all right
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — the tool

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