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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — music
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — in sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. fall — the season
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chest — a box
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. season — of the year
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bear — the animal

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