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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. capital — a city
  5. tube — the underground
  6. capital — money
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lean — to bend
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — thin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — a trail
  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