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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. plane — a tool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pop — soda
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pop — music

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