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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 116 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rock — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wake — a trail
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. row — a line
  24. wax — to grow

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