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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fine — all right
  10. band — a music group
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — a video
  17. rest — a break
  18. vault — a safe
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. land — a country
  23. band — a ring
  24. wave — with your hand

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