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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. swing — in golf
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bass — low music
  24. swing — to play on

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