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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — a city
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spell — letters
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — a short time

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