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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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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. net — for catching
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to point toward
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mine — for digging
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. face — to confront
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. face — part of the head
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. wax — in the ear

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