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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. drill — the tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. wax — to grow
  23. drill — army training
  24. wave — with your hand

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