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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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468
Word bank
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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — for pool
  4. craft — boats
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cue — a hint
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. swing — music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. swing — in golf

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