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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fall — the season
  10. scale — in music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wax — for sculpting

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