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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. kick — in football
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — of the year
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — to grow
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — before a funeral

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