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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spring — the season
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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