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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pop — soda
  13. march — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pop — to visit

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