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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a dance
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. club — a group
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — an illness
  21. club — for golf
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — animal skin

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