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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — for sport
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. court — of a king
  11. staff — employees
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. court — of law
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. staff — a stick
  20. date — the fruit
  21. craft — a skill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. craft — boats

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