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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. wax — to grow
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — a measure
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — temperature
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. foot — the bottom

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